Nicolai Van Gelderhode

Nicolai Van Gelderhode was a Flemish politician who served on the Aalst City Council during the 1740s. He served as a member of the French occupation government of the city during the War of the Austrian Succession, and, in 1747, he came up with a road surfacing plan to straighten the road from Aalst to Brussels and make the road safer for wagon axels and cut travel time in half. The Mayor decided to increase taxes and conscript manpower to build the new road.